Hurricane Katrina

No...we don't mean Ma (Jay's mom, Katrina).

December 17, 2007: We are currently in Gulfport, Mississippi – about 5 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The temperature has dropped considerably from the +27 temperatures we were experiencing in Florida. It was -1 last night (similar to Central Alberta). After school today we travelled to the shoreline of the Gulf. We went to collect some white sand, but as we approached the area we quickly realized the area still shows signs of the significant damage brought by Hurricane Katrina of 2005. We had expected to see “some” rebuilding evidence, but the streets (where houses used to be) are still strewn with garbage and debris, huge oak trees are bare-some even stripped of bark and the rubble from houses and businesses on the lots surround the residential beach area. There were many empty lots where houses use to be, although handfuls have been rebuilt, along with some commercial buildings. It was quite disturbing and astounding that after more than two years - so much damage remained.

December 18, 2007: Today we visited New Orleans, Louisiana…attached are some photos of the current state of the city. There were blocks and blocks of abandoned homes and people still living in houses with tarps as roofs. Another interesting site was the aboveground cemeteries. They need to be above ground because the city is below sea level. It was a humbling and learning experience.

FYI: The campground we are staying at actually has a waiver that we needed to sign (although it isn’t hurricane season) that we were aware that we were in a hurricane zone and evacuation was a possibility. On the lighter side…we have also learned that there are underwear issues in the area. All local convenience stores post signs to ”Pull-up your pants or stay out!” Another one read “If your underwear are showing don’t bother coming in!” I don’t remember seeing those particular postings in Rimbey. Hmmmm…